Cafe and Rope Barriers Buyer Guide

Café and Rope Barrier Systems­ are an effective and stylish space management tool for businesses to segment or increase trading space, for crowd and queue management, in-store and outdoor event traffic flow. Signwaves offers a range of barrier options that will complement the ambience and décor in a variety of surroundings.

Sectors that commonly use café and rope barriers are restaurants, pubs, bars, exhibition organisers, garden centres, shopping centres, hotels, bakeries, coffee shops, clubs and events, but any business that requires ownership of their internal or external space would benefit from their use. And of course the advertising opportunity and brand presence that printed Café Barriers offers is unbeatable.

The Signwaves Adfresco® Café Barrier system consists of weighted posts or stanchions, each post linked together by a horizontal rail that suspends a printed banner. Rails and banners are available in three different widths. Posts and bases are available in two different finishes, and then there are options on banner materials, banner tethering method and stainless steel specification to suit budget, performance requirements and environment. ‘Designed for purpose’, as opposed to being an adaptation of existing rope barrier components, Adfresco Café Barrier has been designed from the ground up with quality and performance in mind, and sets the benchmark for café barrier systems.

Signwaves are able to provide a full in-house service to their customers, from supply of hardware only to a complete service including banner design and printing.

For optimum outdoor performance the standard Adfresco Café Barrier system in polished 304 stainless steel or satin black powder coated finish is the answer. With 13.5kg bases and the option of patented sliding ring technology this is the choice for exposed outdoor situations such as seaside cafes and restaurants. 304 stainless steel provides excellent corrosion resistance, again an advantage in seaside locations where salt accelerates the corrosion process. With sliding ring and lower cross rail the system is DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) compliant if required, the lower rail offering an audible ‘tap’ for the visually impaired pedestrian using a stick. Where DDA compliance isn’t required, there is the option of the lower cost bungee tethering method for the banner which eliminates the need for a lower cross rail.

There are plenty of situations where the higher performance and higher cost of the standard stainless steel hardware isn’t necessary – indoor use for example at airports, motorway services and shopping malls. For this reason Signwaves introduced Adfresco LT, in lower grade 201 polished stainless steel with a 10kg base it is perfect for indoor use and more sheltered outdoor locations. It is only available with the bungee banner tethering method which helps make this the lowest cost option.

Pole bases are concrete filled and have a low centre of gravity, providing outstanding stability. The underside has rubber edging which protects the product when used outside and protects floors when used inside, particularly useful if the user wishes to roll the pole/base into position.

The cross rails, or cross bars, are the same with all hardware variants and are available in three widths, offering 1200mm, 1500mm or 1800mm pole centres when assembled. These, along with an optional chrome wall mounted eye-plate, can be mixed and matched as required to provide endless configurations to enclose pretty much any space and shape.

All cross rails have easy to use spring-loaded end clips for attaching to the pole top ring. The quick release design is intuitive and easy to use but at the same time secure when in use.

Customers have a choice of three high performance materials for their Adfresco® printed banner, all suitable for outdoor use, printed in high definition UV resistant digital inks with sleeves and hems stitched to yacht sail specifications.

For banners requiring branding or a printed image on both sides then Light Block PVC is the answer. This 780gsm polyester textile reinforced banner material is totally opaque so there is no risk of the print on one side showing through on the reverse. It has a smooth semi-gloss finish making it easy to wipe clean.

Some customers prefer the look and softer feel of a matt finish textile – traditionally a cotton canvas. The problem with cotton based canvas fabrics is that they rot and stain if not treated, are expensive, and full colour outdoor durable print is virtually impossible.

Following two years of development, Signwaves are proud to be able to offer their 450gsm Polyester Canvas that looks and feels like a traditional canvas, is similarly priced to the alternative PVC banner offerings,

will not rot or stain and prints beautifully in high definition. Because the material is not 100% opaque a single colour flood coated print is recommended for the reverse.

Finally Signwaves offers a 380gsm Mesh PVC banner option which offers a semi-transparent finish and allows some air to travel through. This can assist with stability in windy locations but will not protect customers fro

m draughts so well. The subtle branding effect may suit style bars and restaurants but it is only possible currently to print on one side leaving plain white material on the reverse.

For businesses that need to manage pedestrian flow or need to simply block off an area, then Signwaves offers a choice of ropes in place of banners. Available in soft velvet or twisted rope finishes, each in three stock colours with quick release chrome end clips , they work perfectly with the Adfresco® poles, bases and eye plates to provide a more functional rather than promotional barrier method.

Whether you are a sign company, marketing agency or retailer, the Signwaves Adfresco® Café Barrier system is the perfect solution to advertise and manage your or your customer’s space. You could also consider Artificial Boxwood Hedging. Manufactured by our sister company Blooming Artificial, it is the ideal companion for the Adfresco Café Barrier.